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Rome Exhibition: L'Arma per l'Arte

At the end of last week I was able to visit the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome for the new exhibition, 'L'Arma per l'Arte: Antologia di meraviglie'. This show celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale. There are 60 exhibits including paintings and other works of art.

The exhibition contains a selection of the objects returned from North America as well as some other recovered antiquities:

Comments

David- I find it ironic that Italy is holding another "trophy art" exhibit at a cultural heritage site that has been neglected by Italy's cultural bureaucracy and is apparently badly in need of repair. See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/hadrians-neglected-mausoleum-close-to-collapse-503950.html

Doesn't all this just divert attention from the real problem-- Italy's unwillingness to fund its cultural heritage establishment properly and to adopt more rational laws-- like PAS and Treasure Trove --that would ensure that the State only keeps what it can reasonably be expected to take care of?

IIANM, the English Treasure Law of 1996, which codifies older practice with some changes, makes treasure the property of the crown and has nothing to do with the state's ability to care for objects. Therefore, it would make no difference for this class of finds in a country that does already makes archaeological finds the property of the state (like Italy, which also already compensates landowners for finds made on their property).

Besides which, caring for a building is hardly on the same scale as caring for ceramic pots.

i found a blog from someone from rome, i guess born there since you can breath the rome's air in those posts, there is a section about exhibitions rome, italy, there is also an english translation tool there

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About Me

David Gill is Professor of Archaeological Heritage and Director of Heritage Futures at the University of Suffolk. He was a Rome Scholar at the British School at Rome and a Sir James Knott Fellow at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was subsequently part of the Department of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, and Reader in Mediterranean Archaeology, Swansea University. He holds the Archaeological Institute of America's Outstanding Public Service Award (2012).